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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Make IHOP Inspired Pumpkin Pancakes at Home

While Americans celebrate the fall harvest with pumpkin pies, soups, pastas and more, participating IHOP restaurants nationwide will observe the season by serving their popular pumpkin pancakes again this October. Although the family-friendly restaurant chain does not share its secret recipe, which includes real pumpkin and seasonal spices, IHOP is offering tips for everyone to enjoy perfect pumpkin pancakes this fall:

The batter – Start with your favorite pancake batter recipe and simply add canned pumpkin pie mix.· Water temperature – When preparing dry pancake mix, it is essential that the water is chilled to less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Use ice to bring the temperature of the water down.

· Lumps are good – Do not over mix the pancake batter. Small lumps of flour are what make pancakes tall and fluffy.

· Grill temperature – Use a 350-degree grill and make sure there are no hot or cold spots that can affect cooking time.

Cook time – The appearance is how you judge when a pancake is ready. When dropping the pancake batter, watch for bubbles to form and for the batter to have a dull appearance. This takes approximately 2.5 minutes. After flipping, cook approximately 2 minutes.

IHOP tops its pumpkin pancakes with creamy whipped topping.Pumpkin pancakes will be available at participating IHOP locations throughout October in stacks of four (or two if part of a combo meal). Guests can also enjoy Trick or Treat All-You-Can-Eat buttermilk pancakes during the entire month October. In observance of Halloween, IHOP will offer free Scary Face Pancakes for trick or treaters 12 and under from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, October 29. The Scary Face Pancake includes an oversized signature buttermilk pancake, served with crushed Oreo cookies, candy corn and whipped cream on the side to allow guests to customize their own Halloween hotcakes. For more information or to find an IHOP restaurant near you, please visit www.ihop.com. Become a fan of IHOP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ihop.